1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to energy translating devices and has particular reference to combustion engines for driving vehicles, such as automobiles, boats, aircraft, etc., as well as stationary machinery, such as power generating plants and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, internal combustion engines embodying pistons, a crankshaft and connecting rods pivotally connected between the pistons and the crankshaft, have been most commonly used to drive both vehicles and stationary machinery. Although such engines are generally satisfactory they present certain inherent drawbacks. Primarily, they must be operated at a relatively high speed to develop necessary power to operate a vehicle and therefore they require a relatively complicated and expensive variable speed transmission and clutch mechanism to accelerate the vehicle to a desired driving speed and to drive the vehicle at different speeds. Since internal combustion engines are driven by means of timed explosions within the cylinders and because such engines incorporate a crankshaft whereby power is transferred to the shaft at an uneven rate depending on the harmonic motion resulting from pressure of the piston connecting rods against the offset cranks, uneven power impulses are applied to the drive shaft, resulting in inefficient transfer of energy. Additionally, much of the energy is absorbed by virtue of friction within the variable speed transmission and associated mechanism.
Further, in a four stroke cycle internal combustion engine, only one power stroke occurs during each four strokes or two revolutions of the crankshaft, requiring a relatively large number of cylinders to obtain a substantially smooth application of power. This results in relatively heavy and expensive engines. Also, when the fuel-air mixture of an internal combustion engine is compressed and ignited in contact with the hot metallic elements of the cylinders and other components, such metallic surfaces act catalytically to generate nitrous oxides and other undesirable air pollutants, commonly known as smog.